Pouting or Praising // by Ashleigh Haley

I like to think of myself as patient. It seems like a good thing to be, right? But then Netflix won’t load on the first try and I discover that patience isn’t high on my list of godly characteristics.

How about when the situation is a litter bit bigger than your favorite binge-worthy show not loading? How well do you wait when it comes to answers from God? I’ve met very few people in my life that immediately respond to waiting periods with praise, but they’re the most inspiring.

In Hosea 4, God is calling out Israel, saying that they’re “in mourning” and “wasting away.” In an over-dramatic way, I can relate. When I’m waiting on God longer than I want to my “mourning and wasting away” looks like throwing a fit and binging on ice cream. But from the very beginning of this chapter, God explains the reason that Israel (and myself) is in this state instead of waiting with joy.

“There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land,” Hosea 4:1

Faithfulness, kindness, and knowledge are our keys. They are practical tools given by God to assist us in our waiting seasons. But what does that look like in our everyday lives?

Faithfulness is being loyal, true, constant, and committed. We have to hold tightly to what we started with if we want to keep it until the end. As a military fiancé, the principle of faithfulness is very near to me. Amongst the separation, waiting, unknown, and distance there has to be a foundation of faithfulness. So it is with our relationship with God. Constantly choosing Him leads to constantly finding peace.

Kindness is being generous, friendly, and considerate. In other words, get your focus off of yourself! Being generous means giving to OTHERS. Being friendly means kindheartedness towards OTHERS. Being considerate means putting OTHERS before you. Being kind towards others builds us up in return, diminishes our own struggles, and ultimately gives the glory back to God.

Knowledge of God can look like many different things. This isn’t just a guilt trip to memorize more scripture. That would be “knowledge of scripture”! Knowledge of God is a personal relationship with Him, knowing what He sounds like, what His presence feels like, what He says. This can also look like getting godly advice from trusted friends. Isolating ourselves is a common defense mechanism when we’re struggling, but trusted friends help fight against burnout.

“He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.”

Even when we chose pouting over praising, He’s right there to gently nudge us towards joy. Even when we chose to sell ourselves for a cheap satisfaction, we’re met with an overwhelming portion of His love. Even when we feel like we’re wasting away, His presence rejuvenates us. Thank goodness God is full of grace because I need it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I’m thankful that even in our times of waiting and failure God still reminds us that He’s already redeemed us.